Latin America, Quo Vadis? | profile

The second issue of the Argentine Council of International Relations’ journal Global Affairs/Global Affairs focused on Latin America.

As editorial director and publisher of this bilingual publication, I was able to spend a year immersed in the state of debate in this region, which is increasingly being discussed in international research.

After a joint investigation by more than thirty authors from Argentina and the world, we can share the following findings with readers.

Initially, four main axes emerge that structure the study of this region.

First, autonomy and regional strategy in the new global order, which examines as priorities the concepts of autonomy and dependence, the fragmentation of regional integration and positioning strategies vis-à-vis global powers.

Second, Geopolitics, External Influence, and Great Power Rivalry focuses on the competition between the United States and China and how this rivalry manifests itself in Latin America’s infrastructure, economy, and politics.

Third, security, defense and non-traditional conflicts by addressing the evolution of increasing militarization and new security challenges.

Fourth, diplomacy, governance and the projection of civil society, the central themes of which are soft power, human rights, the role of the diaspora and civil society.

After a transversal analysis of the entire work, five basic thematic axes can be identified that run through the contributions of all authors. Beyond their specific approaches (economic, military, diplomatic or political), there is a consensus on the diagnosis of the global scenario and the challenges it poses to Latin America.

1. Strategic competition between the USA and China as a structural condition. This is the strongest thread throughout the entire publication. Almost all authors agree that the hegemonic dispute between Washington and Beijing is the ordering – and disordering – factor in current international relations.

2. The crisis and redefinition of “autonomy”. The classic concept of autonomy is in crisis and is under review by most authors. It is no longer just about “autonomy” from a single power, but about how to maintain room for maneuver in an interdependent world and a region under pressure.

3. The weakness of regional integration and political fragmentation. There is general consensus about the critical state of Latin American integration mechanisms. The region is described as disjointed, increasing its external vulnerability.

4. The connection between domestic policy and foreign policy. Several authors emphasize how domestic volatility, polarization, and governance crises directly impact countries’ international orientation.

5. The need to navigate a non-hegemonic order of uncertainty. The authors agree that the old rules of the international liberal order are dying, but the new ones have not yet been consolidated.

To illustrate the authors’ shared vision, we can use the metaphor of a ship in a complex storm. The ship is Latin America, whose internal structure is damaged, with political and economic fragmentation. The storm is due to the external forces anchored in the US-China rivalry and the crisis in the global order. The authors debate how best to deal with this storm: some suggest anchoring the ship starting from an orientation in a safe harbor, while most suggest repairing the hull, deepening pragmatic integration and adjusting the sails to take advantage of the winds from both sides without being swept away by the current of this interregnum.

* Professor of International Relations and Argentine Foreign Policy.